Fashion and fizz

Dawn Renton

Hello my darling! Gok Wan greeted me when I grabbed him for a chat ahead of his new fashion shows coming to Scotland next month.

The bubbly TV presenter who made his mark by encouraging women to embrace their bodies regardless of their size is hitting the road in the New Year with his new fashion shows which includes seven visits to Scotland.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Gok said. “This has been a long time coming; something that I’ve been working on for a long time.

“I’ve always wanted to do a tour; I look at all these comedians hitting the road and I thought ‘I want to do that’. Problem is, I ain’t bloody funny am I?!” Gok laughed.

“So I decided it is best to stick to what I know and now we have the Fashion Brunch Clubs.

“It’s all systems go, we’re sorting out all the clothes and all of that stuff, so it’s great.

Gok’s Fashion Brunch Club kicks of in Scotland before heading across to Ireland and he can’t wait to get up close and personal with us Scottish lassies!

“I can’t wait to head up north,” Gok said. “I love the country so its perfect that we would start the tour in Scotland.

“We found some amazing venues which are just stunning and I can’t wait to transform them for our Brunch Clubs. Hopefully I can spend some time exploring the cities as well.”

So what can we expect from the Clubs?

“Well, hopefully it will be a fun day out!” he laughed. “It’s just a massive explosion of fun and frolics. It’s a champagne brunch which is all very glamorous, and then we’ve got a demo on stage of upcoming trends for the year ahead; how to dress for your body shape, that kind of thing. After that, we’ve got a live Q and A session with yours truly which is always very exciting. The audience can ask me anything they want, well with in reason of course!

And then we’ve got a catwalk show – and that’s my favourite part of the event.

“We are going to emulate the 1920s Chanel shows where the models walked through the crowds so you could see the outfits up close. It’s something that is a bit different to the usual fashion shows. To finish the day off there will be goodie bags for all you lovely ladies to take home. Fabulous!”

Each city can expect something a little bit different when Gok rolls into town.

“Yes, each city has their own style, and take on fashion trends,” Gok explained. “So we will be paying close attention to that and the models will be local women and boutiques – not just clothes off the High Street. So each city will have its own unique show in that aspect.”

The Brunches are set to keep Gok busy for most of next year, but what else does he have in the pipe line?

He said: “The fashion brunches – we’re doing a 50 day tour – so it’s a massive chunk of next year, and then I’ve got another seven projects on as well, most of them I can’t talk about just yet, they are still very top secret! (spoilsport!)

“It’s going to be a really busy year.

“But first it’s the Brunch Clubs and I just can’t wait to meet all you lovely ladies. It will also be a great day out to shake off the post Christmas winter blues. So grab all your friends and your mums, aunties and even your granny and come along. I can’t wait to see you there, my darlings!”

Don’t miss the Fashion Brunch Clubs at the following venues: Meldrum House Hotel, Inverurie, January 29, February 5 and 18; Apex City Quay Hotel, Dundee, February 11; The Principal Hotel, Edinburgh, February 12; The Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness, February 19 and the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow, February 24.